Quest for the Last Realm
by ImperfectIsPerfect
Summary: The Universe seems peaceful.But the Aether got in the wrong hands.When Loki gives up the throne and warns Thor, it's too late.Tanos has a new army and the Collector is seeking the Infinity Stones for e Universe is split in 2 sides and the battleground is Midgard.What happened to the other Realms?Who'll get the Infinity Stones first?Also, can love shine in the middle of war?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Thor:The Dark World, The Avengers or any of the characters in them, by I do own my OCs ;)**

**AN. This is the first story I post on an online site, so please go easy on me, yet don't take me for completely inexperienced either;). The story picks up at the end of TDW, only slightly AU, and some characters may be a little OOC. Also, it doesn't give much information from the beginning, but all will be explained as the story unfolds. Though if you have any questions you can put them in your reviews or PM me and I'll make sure to answer them**

** That being said, on with the story...**

Ch.1- This might just be the place

They had been traveling for a couple of weeks without stopping for more than a few hours once in a while. How could they, when the mission was so important. Still,the younger one thought it would have been easier if he had just teleported them to a certain location.

The two brothers, the strongest hope the Earth had, were greeted with the first sign of civilization in days; and, unlike the last deserted village, this one held living beings.

"I suggest I change our appearances, brother. We do not know what we might encounter there, be it friend or for." The elder nodded his approval to his brother's suggestion.

In two flashes of green, they both looked like two oordinary human males. Under that appearance, they entered the village.

They immediatelly spotted the Vanir among humans, but those were the only species. The inhibitors were dressed simply, if not poorly, and seemed peaceful, though they still carried weapons. In all this view, the only striking sight were the two approaching elf females. They stood out not just because of their specie, but also for their outfits and attitude.

As soon as they reached the brothers, the one who seemed in charge addressed them:

"You have entered peaceful territory. State your intentions and your names."

The younger, currently brown haired and black eyed, stepped forward and said smoothly, without hesitation:

"I am Jack and this is my brother, Nick. We are of Midgardian origin and we would only ask for shelter for a short period of time."

His brother, brown eyes the only difference from "Jack", smiled in greeting, while both of them were quickly scanning the girls, who were returning the favour. The one who already spoke wore a brown combat outfit over her milky white skin. Obviously a light elf, with red hair and fiery, reddish brown eyes. She radiated warmth and confidence. Her companion stood in her shadow, a cold, dark presence in a black outfit over her pale, grayish skin, with black hair and misty-blue eyes, swirling with shadows. She seemed to be more weary, while the redhead accepted their lie, she kept studying them. 'Smart girl' thought Jack. Finally, she spoke:

" I am Misteria and this is my older sister, Thalia. She's the head of this village. You may stay here for as long as you need, under the condition to not bring trouble with you." She definitely didn't trust easily, and for good reason.

The brothers noddedd in understanding, before following the girls to their temporar residence.

X X X

The brothers settled in the room they were given after the short tour of the village. "Nick" sat on his bed and looked at Jack expectantly. Jack quickly cast a working around the room, to block sound, and sat opposite his brother.

"If the Director finds out about your...current stage name, he'll throw a fit" he said, smirking

"Then I'll make sure he knows you came up with it" Nick answered, chuckling, but then sobered. "What do you sense, brother?" he asked

"Not much; relatively peaceful lifestyles, no real trained warriors, with the exception of a few, the sisters included. I suggest we visit the practice range outside the village at nightfall, in order to see their skills. Till then, there's not much I can say. Now, will you finally honor me with the privilege of knowing the reason of this journey?" Of course Jack wouldn't lose the chance to be sarcastic, and Nick groaned before he answered.

"The prophet we had found last year has made a prediction" Nick answered.

"That's suitably vague" Jack said

"Brother!" Nick glared at him, though they were both grinning "She'd said the two of us shall travel North, find the last asset to our force and return with her in three weeks' time. She said this asset will be vital to us while fulfilling your plan"

Jack hummed then said "Were those her exact words?"

"Yes"

"Well then" Jack said, getting up "Since this is the only village we came across in two weeks, we might as well see what is the potential of the females here." He relaxed his magic and turned to walk out, but stopped as Nick called:

"Brother," he stood as well "do the sisters intrigue you as well?"

After a moment, "Yes, they do."

And they both walked out waiting nightfall with interest.

**Ok, not a very long chapter, but I promise they'll get longer. Also, there's a little action in the next one, and after that the plot really begins moving**

**Let me know if you are interested in this(reviews fuel my mind;), and see you in a few days.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN. So so soooo sorry for the long wait. I've been having doubts about continuing this due to something I was told by a friend, but now I'm back, and with a hundred thanks to my reviewer, Livin4Jesus, the person who motivated me not to delete this story.**

Chapter 2. Who do you think you are?!

After leading the brothers to their room, Misteria and Thalia headed straight to the training grounds. There they met with four other girls.

"So, who are they and what do they want?" asked Tris, a young Vänir girl. Her elder sister, Bia, rolled her eyes at her bluntness.

"They're just travelers, they won't be staying long" Thalia answered simply

"No they won't" they all turned towards Astra.

"Explanation?" requested Anja, absent-mindedly playing with an arrow

"They won't, because I had a vision about two men coming in our village and destroying the peace we've acquired. I suggest we... kick them out and be done with it!"

"But they seem rather peaceful, from what Thalia said" reasoned Bia.

"But things are not always what they seem" added Anja.

"But who cares! I mean, what are we even training for if you are so afraid to battle?!" argued Thalia

While the rest of them bickered, Misteria scanned the village's surroundings and abruptly said "Stop" and all eyes fell on her.

"The boys may be peaceful, but I doubt those who followed them are" said Misteria in a calm tone.

Then a few things happened at once: the girls heard multiple screams, riders were coming towards the village, a few arrows touched down and set two houses on fire and two figures came running towards the girls.

X X X

Damn that idiot, thought Jack. His stupid brother didn't want to listen to all the warnings he gave regarding their possible followers. And now they decided to attack. Just perfect!

"Brother, I know you want to protect the villagers, but we have a mission. We must get the girls and leave!"Jack yelled

"But..."

"Thor, now!"and his brother melted their illusions and took off running towards the practice range, so he had no choice but to follow.

Fires were already alight and the dusk light made it hard to see, thus very hard to dodge blows, and the brothers were concerned for the females they'd just met.

They found them and four others, weapons drawn, and two dead bodies on the ground, one by an arrow and the other by Thalia's spear. She was eyeing them disbelievingly. Misteria's eyes searched their appearance: one blonde and blue eyed, one dark-haired and green eyed. Also considering their weapons and auras, she recognized them instantly: Thor and Loki, the princes of Asgard.

"My ladies, if you'd allow it, we'll escort you to a safer place" Thor said hurriedly.

"They're here because of you!'' yelled a girl, gripping her bow tightly.

"We don't have time for this, we need to help them" Thalia said.

"You cannot! We must get you out of here!"

"If you wannna be a coward, Loki, run! But we are staying!" Thalia shoot back, and looked ready to bolt back towards the attackers, but Misteria grabbed her hand.

"We need their help, we like it or not. And we're not helping anyone like this."

In that moment, about 10 dark elves attacked. Thor and Loki made quick work of them, but more enemies kept comming their way, and there wasn't much to save of the small village, since it's inhabitors were all fleeing from the burning place they used to call home.

"With all due respect''began Loki "but you will not solve anything by getting caught" He began to retreat towards the forest behind them, followed begrudgingly by Thor. "Your companion is right, we're the reason they're here, and they won't stop till they get us. Please, we'll explain on the way..."

"Thalia, you know we have nothing to lose" Misteria dragged her sister and all of them began running from the approaching enemies. Loki muttered something under his breath and illusions of their group began spreading in all directions. Their attackers spread as well and followed different groups, bun none guessed the right one. Still, they didn't stop running till they were a good distance away from the village.

The brothers gave the girls some space. Tris went from panting to sobbing, while Bia held her. Anja was leaning on a tree, Astra looked both pained and out of breath, and Thalia looked ready to kill someone. Misteria approached the brothers and slapped Loki. Then Thor.

"I'm beginning to get used to that" Loki told her. She glared daggers at both of them.

"That was our home. We had a life there" even if she was just as angry as her sister, both their eyes were swimming with emotion. They held the pain of memories, something Loki could understand. He held Misteria's gaze and saw nothing. Thalia, on the other hand, was not as well guarded. They had been in battle before, yet had been powerless to act. They were eager to fight, yet afraid of their own feelings.

"You promised an explanation, so start talking" prompted Astra.

Thor looked at his brother for help and Loki sighed and began."Well it's rather simple, really: our seer made a premonition, and it led us here. We don't know for sure who is the person we seek, only that she's a female from the north. But the time we had for finding her is running short, you're the best potentials, so we decided to study you, then ask for a decision. Only it wasn't like that. But you must still decide... " Loki trailed off to let it sink in. Misteria spoke first: "From the north, you said. Have you thought that might give away her race? In the north of Midgard there are three realms: Helheim, Jotunheim and Svartalfheim. So she must be either Jotun or dark elf" Her reasoning did make sense and it lessened the possibilities. Smart girl.

"But that means none of you are potentials, so we came all this way for nothing..." All the girls looked at Thor accusingly, while Thalia yelled "This 'nothing' costed us and a few others our homes!"

She was right. People have died because of them... but what could they do but avenge them? Loki felt like they owed the girls a chance to fight as well. And, the seeked ones or not, every asset to The Protectors was a possible advantage. So he asked. The girls seemed both honored and enraged about the offer. "Only now you think to ask?" muttered Bia. They all looked to Thalia. Their leader, Loki realized. 'Thalia wants to fight. She always does. She'll accept your offer' whispered Misteria's voice in his ear.

"Yes. We will join you and fight for the Last Realm." Thalia said finally.

"Then we'll make camp for the night, and my brother will get us there in the morning." stated Thor, and they all started to prepare for the night. Loki took the first watch, soon joined by Misteria.

"You know your sister quite well. How is she, you and your companions with battle?"

"We're good. This isn't the first time we fight. I only wanted to warn you that my sister may seem easy to fool, but she's not. And neither am I. I'm looking forward to working with you, but for now just don't kill us in our sleep." And with that she got up and went near her sister.

To see yetanother person who didn't trust him sting Loki a little, but he was more intrigued with this girl's attitude than her mistrust. She was quiet and smart. She stayed in the shadows. Loki couldn't help but wander if it had been her choice to be there or not.

**AN. Well, not so much action, but they are in for the game. Next cchapter, they will reach the hideout and Loki's plan will be revealed. And I promise not to take so long till the next update.**

**R&amp;R. See yah!**


	3. Chapter 3- The only way

**AN.****Fi****rst , I want to thank my reviewers, you guys made my day. Second, thanks to Livin4Jesus for the shoutout, it really helped. You guys should really check out her stories, they rock! That being said, l****et's get on with the story!**

Chapter 3: The only way

The night passed without incident, and morning found Misteria already awaken, Loki as well. He briefly wondered if anything troubled the girl, but dismissed the thought as none of his business.

They stood as far from each other as the small clearing allowed, waiting for the others. They didn't have to wait long, as the girls and then Thor began to wake up. They quickly picked themselves off the ground and in no time they were ready to go.

They formed a circle around Loki, and as he murmured a few words, they vanished into thin air. As soon as they were in a normal space again, the brothers noticed all the girls looked sick, except for Misteria and Thalia. 'Hmm, a question I'll make sure to ask later' thought Loki

They were greeted by a patrol group. They pointed their weapons at the girls, but a short wave from Thor dismissed them.

"This is the last safe place on Earth for any rebel" began Thor. "It is where all those who want to join came and train, under the protection of the Sons of Asgard, the Warriors Four and Earth's Mightiest Heroes"

Thor led them through a maze of hallways and caverns. Finally, they reached what looked like a common area, and Thor approached a door looking thoughtful. "The code for this room is 062012, if I could only remember how this Midgardian 'magic' worked..." He looked around, but Loki seemed to have disappeared a while ago. With an annoyed sigh, Astra, the only Midgardian among the girls, stepped towards the door's panel, muttering "It's called technology, damn it, one would think you'd learn at least that in such a long time..." She quickly entered the code and the door hissed open. They all got in to find 3 pairs of bunk beds and 3 nightstands.

"You should wait here until I or my brother come to get you for breakfast. There are some things that need to be discussed about you, and then you'll be introduced to the entire alliance. My Ladies..." and he left the room, the door closing behind him.

"So, here we are, about to become part of the Protectors, just like we always wished" stated Thalia, trying to cheer up the mood. Misteria quietly face-palmed, while Bia, Astra, Tris and Anja began to laugh at the light elf 's attempt to make them feel better.

X X X.

Thor found his way to the meeting room rather fast, and he was greeted by the sight of his family and friends waiting for him. The seeres, Karina, was the first to talk to him.

"I see you have returned uncertain of your success, Thunderer" was the only thing she said.

"How very perceptive of you to notice" came a snappy reply, as the God of Mischief entered as well.

"Well, now that Point Break and Reindeer Games are both here, let's do the strategic talk" everyone shook their heads at Tony's behavior, and Loki shoot him a dirty look that communicated just how much he wished there were windows in that room.

"The Man of Iron is right, our time for debate is running short" Thor's remark made everyone sober once more.

"Is there really need for a decision? You know it's the only way!" Loki said pointedly

"The day we'll blindly trust you, Trickster, is the day the world ends!" Lady Sif spat at him

"And that day shall come shortly, if you do not realize the need for my plan!" Loki snarled back

"Chill, you too! We don't have time for this!" Always the peacemaker, Steve stepped between them. They all knew the risks in trusting Loki, but they also knew they didn't have much time left, and no other plans. Ultimately, it was a decision between trying or doing nothing. And for once they all agreed.

X X X

As promised, Thor came for the girls, but led them to the training area. It was full of people of all kinds. Misteria's searching gaze quickly identified Midgardians, Aæsir, Vanir and Light Elves. There were no Dark Elves, and she only spotted 10 Jotuns, at most. They kept walking till they reached the front of the room, and were immediately spotted by pretty much everyone in the room, which grew uncomfortably quiet. Thalia nudged her sister, and the other girl saw who they were standing before: The Avengers, Lady Sif, The Warriors Three, and... Misteria's eyes landed on one of the people she wanted to kill most: Odin Allfather, former King of Asgard. Next to him stood Frigga, and leaning on the wall, half into the shadows, stood Loki, who seemed to study her group as intently as she studied his 'Well' she assumed 'not exactly his'

"My fellow Protectors!" rang Thor's voice "Today we welcome 6 new warriors to our alliance! The Ladies Thalia and Misteria of Alfheim, Anja of Asgard, Bia and Tris of Vanaheim, and Astra of Midgard!" His words were followed by loud cheers, which quickly turned into a single shouted word. "Trial!"

"They will go through the tradition we've created, if they are willing!" Thor shouted over their voices, then turned to the girls in question. "It used to be a form of determining if those who came here were worthy to join, but now it became one's choice to do it or not. It refers to showing them where your strengths lie, so we know what training fits you most. Those who are willing..."

"I AM WILLING!" shouted Thalia, spear already drawn. Cheers followed her reply as every being in the room formed a large circle around her, and 5 Asgardian warriors stepped forward.

"One at a time or all at once? Think you can handle it, Sweetheart?" one of them asked. Thalia narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her spear; all eyes were on her, but her companions had faith in their friend and leader. Thor had gone near his brother, and they both watched, curious about how good the girls were. Their answer, though, lied in Misteria's smirk.

In the blink of an eye, Thalia moved, her spear suddenly engulfed in flames. The element of surprise gave her time to disarm one of the warriors, and melt another's sword with a well aimed torrent of fire. The remaining 3 attacked her, but her spear seemed to be everywhere at once, blocking and parrying blows, then countering them immediately. That and her pyrokinesis made her the obvious winner. She raised her still flaming spear, and gave one victorious shout, the crowd cheering her loudly, as she was led towards where the leaders of the Protectors stood. She immediately greeted Sif, and began conversing with her, as the next girls stepped up: Bia and Tris, swords in hands, looking serious and ready.

The same number of warriors stepped forward, and the fight began. The warriors attacked, but the girls had a long practiced strategy. Bia had a nearly unbreakable defense, her younger sister was quite small in stature, and very fast. In other words, Bia was the distraction, meant to keep the enemy busy, while Tris was exploiting any opening she could find. In no time, all the warriors were both tired and weaponless. Cheering followed the pair as well, as they went to sit next to Thalia, and even changed a few words with Hogun.

Next came Anja, who was greeted by shouted insults by her fellow Aæsir, as she held her bow at the ready. Only 4 stepped out to face her, sneering at her as though she wasn't worth the attention. She proved them wrong, for in the next instant she let loose 3 arrows at once, which flew at about two inches distance from the faces of some laughing warriors, effectively silencing the crowd. Her attackers tried to keep too close for her to shpot , but that brought them within striking distance. Anna had fended close range attacks before, her bow being specially designed with sharp ends. And damn if she wasn't good with it. The fight ended with two warriors disarmed, while the other two were pinned with arrows to the ground. Anja approached her friends with a broad smile. Clint Barton was the first who introduced himself to her.

The last fight was Astra's, who was also greeted with insults to her origin and her not carrying any weapons. She kept her face impassive, and calmly requested archers as her opponents. A few came, drew their bows and aimed, then as one let their arrows fly. Not one touched Astra. She wasn't extremely fast, nor did she have telekinetic abilities; she was a seer, and as such could see things even a split second before they happened, thus her being able to dodge all the arrows. It was a useful talent, on that the whole room agreed, cheers following her as well, as she made her way towards her friends.

Sometime through the whole ordeal, Misteria had made her way near her sister, and only Loki noticed it. Well, Thor as well (miracle!), and he looked pointedly at her, thus making everyone look at her, and the crowd began shouting again, calling her 'Coward!' and 'Weak!', and many other names. She said loud and clear "You said it was my choice to do this or not. I chose 'no' since I see no reason to prove myself to those I know not, nor am I going to be your entertainment!" Some Aæsir shouted at her " Why don't you go talk with the Dark Price, 'Misteria'!?", putting emphasis on her name.

Said girl turned around slowly, and her gaze looked downright murderous. Thalia took a half step towards her sister. "Stay out of this, sister!" was the stern warning she got. Then her sister addressed the whole room "You want a show? Fine!" And she moved. In an instant two warriors were disarmed and she stood ready to fight (or kill, considering her expression) the next attackers. Four more came at her, and she blocked a few strikes with her short, twin blades, then she disappeared in a puff of blue mist. She appeared behind each of her attackers, taking them down from behind, one by one, moving way too fast for any of them to counter. She won in a matter of seconds. She made her way back towards her friends, head held high and eyes still swirling with poisonous blue mist.

Everyone stared at her, most whispering that disappearing like that was cheating. She seemed to hear them and suddenly there was a pain in her eyes that only Loki understood.

"Um, right, introductions later, now we'd like to have a private word with the lovely ladies, thank you!" Leave it to Tony Stark to break the tension, thought pretty much everyone in the room, but they heeded his advice anyway. Soon, the place was empty except for the leaders and the newcomers.

"Right, then, you already know who all of us are, I presume?"that'd been Tony, and all the girls nodded. They knew the entire crowd except for a girl with brown hair and an old looking face, though she couldn't have been more than 30. Oh, and her eyes were completely white, but she seemed to be seeing then all.

" Greetings, my dear newcomers" she began in an impassive voice "I know this feels very sudden for you, but your help is needed for the Sly One's plan to work. As a seer, I had seen part of his plan developing, and you are to be part of it, if we want to keep this last realm living." All the girls eyed each other curiously. "What is the plan you speak of?" Astra asked carefully. Karina smiled at the younger seer, saying "I will let Loki tell you himself" and she stepped back.

Loki eyed them all, in turn, and began "As I believe you are aware, Thanos was the one who laid waste on the realms. He does not want to rule, nor conquer, his only care is death. But to completely destroy the Universe, he needs all the six Infinity Stones. One he already has, the Aether, and he has told the Collector to bring him all the stones.

Now, while he is skilled in finding that what he looks for, only one Infinity Stone can track down the others. The only one we have, the Teseract. My plan is rather simple, that we use it to find the stones before he does. The only, rather unpleasant, problem is that activating the Teseract will send a clear message of our location. We could, of course, do it somewhere else, but for Thanos knowing what realm we're in will be enough, and he will not take long to find us. Also, the energy release the other stones will give in response could be significant enough to draw the Collector to them as well. Unfortunately, staying here and doing small quests won't keep us hidden forever, nor will it stop Thanos. So, no matter how dangerous, this is the only way. Also, according to our seer, you're meant to be a part of all this, regardless of the reasons we brought you here for." He finished and took a breath, letting the girls think this over. They were all locking gazes with one another, seeking the others' answers. Finally, they all nodded acceptance.

"Tell us where we fit in, and we'll gladly help" Thalia spoke in all their names.

"Loki will open theTeseract and as soon as the location is settled, a team will be sent through. It has already been decreed that Thor will lead, and the Warriors Three, Stark and Rogers will accompany him. It is best if Thalia, Bia and Tris would go as well" said Karina, but the Light Elf argued they she'd never completed a quest without her sister. " It'd be best to keep our more... defensive fighters here, in the case of an attack " reasoned the seeres, and Thalia knew she was right.

They all bid their goodbyes, the girls splitting up for the first time in a long while, the Avengers wishing each other good luck, and Frigga embracing her eldest, telling him to be safe. That done, the questers, Odin, Frigga and Loki left the room to go to the place the Teseract was kept. Astra and Anja headed back to their room, but Misteria stayed behind. She remained in the room with Sif, Natasha, Barton and Banner, all studying her intently. Sif ran out of patience first, saying: "I disapprove of your methods of fighting, but we shall see what kind of a person you are", then she exited the room as well. Misteria rolled her eyes and raised her eyebrows, as if asking 'Can you believe her?!', then turned and left before further conversation could be made. The remaining occupants, while tottaly unfazed by her silent mockery, decided it would be best to keep an eye on her.

X X X

Misteria stood hidden in the shadows of the 'Teseract Room' watching as the Teseract was reawakened by Loki's magic, and even though she wasn't an expert she could feel small responses of energy from all over the space. The most prominent seemed to come from Alfheim, radiating a golden aura. That was of course where the questers were sent.

She teleported herself back to her room, where she found her friends talking and(as usual), stopping when she appeared.

"Don't mind me, I just need a relatively quiet place to think" she said almost immediately. She sat in a corner, and thought back on her feelings: a strong pull against her ming, from somewhere below her. Like something, not someone, testing her mind. She just happened to feel it when the Teseract was opened. That could only mean one thing: there was an Infinity Stone right below this building, and either no one knew about, or likely, no one was supposed to.

'Oh, Odin, still trying this tactic...' she thought with bitter amusement. 'Haven't you learned that I am not the only one who seeks to find your secrets...?"

And, still smiling slightly, she let her mind drifting, seeking for the unmistakable presence of the Mischief God, politely asking for entrance, only saying 'We need to talk.'

**Well, that went well. Next chapter, we'll see how the questers are faring., and what are Misteria and Loki , an interesting thing will occur between the two of them, and some interesting things will be discovered about the elf sisters. I'll update as soon as possible, till then R&amp;R**

**See yah!**


	4. Chapter 4-mind link

**A/N.I ****am deeply sorry for the very long wait. School has been killing me with homework, tests and finals. And to top it all, both my mom and dad got sick, so I had to do all the housework alone, and take care of my little sister, for nearly two weeks!? Let's just say she's been driving me nuts... But we all got through that, I am on holiday, so I should update this more often.**

**Again, a big thank you to Livin4Jesus for her support, and thank you guys for reading this story. Now on with the chapter...**

Chapter 4 - Mind link

She had 'requested' entrance in his mind, not tryed to force her way in. That was new to him, so he allowed her, if only out of curiosity. She had asked to meet him somewhere private, for she had something important to say. He pondered her request for a few seconds, then suggested one of the only private areas there were in the whole building: the chambers he shared with Thor.

So here he was,waiting rather impatiently for her arrival. Truly this girl was a mystery, and Loki was hell bent on finding out all of her secrets. That, and maybe, just maybe, she had also felt the strong force that seemed to call out from bellow. Finally, the door opened, and Misteria entered gracefully, just as Loki rose from the desk he'd been sitting at. They studied each other for a short while, then Misteria spoke.

"I believe you felt it as well. Well, long story short, I wanna know what it is, and why is it here?..." She stated plainly

"And what, pray tell, makes you think I'd help you with this?..." came the reply of the Trickster

"Don't pretend you don't want to know as well..." she said sounding bored. Loki stared at her, hoping to get a sign of an emotion from her, and determined to let her see none of his. After about 5 minutes, they both gave up trying to read each other, and Loki spoke:

"It felt like the energy of a Stone, but it wasn't from the Teseract, that I know for sure. And it seemed to pull at my mind. Is it the same ? Misteria nodded, and then stated:

"Considering all this, it would be logical to say it is the Mind Gem. What do you think?" Loki kept quiet for a moment. It made sense, only he'd been told the Mind Gem had been lost when the humans tryed to separate it from his scepter. But they could've just lied, so better stick to facts he discovered on his own. He locked eyes with the girl before him and thought of how reckless it would be to just go looking for it, and of all the times he'd made a poor, sudden decision, but he found himself thinking 'So what? Do I really have that much to lose?!..." So he invited the elf to sit down and they exchanged plan ideas with one another. He had to admit, the girl was intelligent, and her ideas were just as... interesting, as his were. They settled for something relatively simple, a quick but sneaky in-out. They both rose, got out of the room, and vanished.

X X X

The journey was... unpleasant, to say at least. Unlike Loki's teleportation, which felt like a bumpy ride, this felt as though they were pulled apart in one realm, and back together in another. Only Thor and Thalia managed to remain standing, while the rest fell to the ground. Thor scanned the land for possible threats, and Thalia tryed to do the same, but seeing her once home, her birth realm in such a horrible state was painful. Even after so many centuries, she still remembered the now desolate lands as beautiful and alive with color. But she didn't let her painful memories get the better of her, no, they had an important mission.

Everybody, now standing, gathered in a compact group, and, aside from Tony and Steve, tryed to sense for the Stone, which shouldn't be far, since the Teseract-portal was attracted to it's energy. Thor and the girls were the first to pick something up, and they started walking in that direction, the others trailing not far behind.

It was unsettling, to say at least, to walk across such a desolate land, and to know it was once the magical realm of Alfheim. Now, there was nothing and nobody left. Yet... Thor kept glancing around, as if expecting an attack, Bia and Tris kept close to each other, and Thalia's eyes were darting from place to place, ready for any sight. Well... almost any. They had expected an army or an ambush, but, they'd forgotten, this was the Collector they were dealing with. And he always seemed to be one step ahead of everything.

X X X

In the depths of the Stronghold were allowed only a select few. Therefore, Hawkeye and Black Widow were walking purposefully towards the four guards placed at the entrance. As they approached, the 4 guards, 2 Agents, and 2 asgardians, stood straighter and one of the humans asked them for what purpose and how long will they be down there. The Widow answered swiftly, and, once they were inside, the door closed behind them.

They gazed around at the dimly lit, long and curving hallway, taking in all the 'well concealed' traps, then Natasha spoke, but not in her voice.

"This base is made by humans, is it not? They'd be quite inventive with their traps, if they weren't so poorly arranged..."

"Yes, indeed. Now, I know the way to the main vault, and that's exactly the path we won't follow; Odin knows I'd be able to trace the energy coming from there, so he must've hid it deeper..." Loki went silent and started walking, Misteria right behind him. Neither dropped their glamours, for worry someone might notice them. After a rather long silence, Misteria asked "Loki, do you have any idea what we're looking for?"

He threw his companion a glance and answered with a shrug. "I don't really know, though I do believe we both have a guess about what it may be, do we not?..." She nodded and went quiet again. 'Strange girl' Loki thought 'seeming curious, but very... shadowy. Hiding. But am I any different, now?... The question is, which one of us will figure the other out first?'

Both were interrupted from their thoughts by a sudden alarm. Loki's eyes widened, and he exclaimed a "damn it!", before breaking into a run, Misteria running after him. "What's happening?!" she asked, and Loki explained quickly that that was the intrusion alarm. How anyone found out about them was a different question. Suddenly, doors slid open and they were surrounded by Midgardian soldiers from all sides. Loki reached for his magic and Misteria prepared herself, but neither showed who they were. They locked eyes for a split second, and saw that both hoped to talk their way out of this, or at least confuse their attackers long enough so they could make a run for it. Anyway, the mortals were not the real challenge; they had to find the object and get out, before Odin was alerted, if possible, without revealing who they were.

X X X

Oh, how Thor missed his brother's company. He would've been prepared for this, unlike him. All the warning they got was a sharp movement of the wind, and they suddenly found themselves in complete darkness. Thor could hear his companions' surprised gasps along with this. They all tryed to move closer to each other and managed to form a more compact group. Judging by the loud sound of their every breath, they were no longer in an open space, but rather in a cave. Their drawn weapons were all slightly glowing, but their light was hardly enough to see even a foot in front of you.

Light. The thought seemed to run through all their minds at once... and somewhere else, not far from their position. Thalia, being a light elf, was the first one to sense some sort of disembodied conscience that was, figuratively speaking, emanating light. Soon the entire group could feel it, and they all felt drawn to it, in all the darkness that seemed to press down on them, the light felt comforting, safe. They felt the urge to follow it.

As soon as they got that feeling, the conscience seemed to fade into distance. Almost simultaneously, the entire group began advancing in the same direction. They were stopped by Bia's voice ringing clearly in the closed, yet vast space of the cave.

"Halt! Nobody move any further." They all turned, confused, in the general direction of her voice.

"But, that light might be our only escape from this dark place, wherever we are." the voice belonged to Tony. The exasperated sigh coming from Bia's direction meant that if she could see him, she'd slap Tony for his comment.

"Has it ever crossed your mind that we may be intentionally led in a certain direction? We know nothing about this place, for all we know, all or a part of this could be an illusion. Anyway, this place is full of dark magic and veiled threats..." she trailed off after the last word.

Thor and Thalia were both thinking hard. Both their siblings were, in their own way, masters of illusion, so they were both trying to remember how their siblings would solve the current problem. Unfortunately, Misteria and Loki had, if nothing else, one thing im common: they were complicated.

Before the group could think any further, they all heard a scratching noise, like someone clawing at stone. Then the sound of something rather big, but very flexible, moving. They all froze. They readied their weapons, but no attack came. Not another sound. Nothing but stillness and... a subtle shuffling in the wind. Nearly unnoticeable...

...'Some light would be really helpful'... a thought. Immediately, the shining consciousness began calling for them once again, but from a different direction than before.

"We have wasted too much time thinking, and now whatever it is that made this sound has found us!" exclaims Volstagg.

"I say we follow it. The Light. It's better than staying here, waiting for something to strike us" said Stark

"And what if we are led straight to our deaths?" mock-asked Tris. She was agreeing with her sister, for something was definitely off about this whole situation.

"Tis not wise to simply venture into the unknown, in a place like this" surprisingly, it was Hogun who spoke. But it was him, Bia and Tris who were Vanir, so they recognized dark magic when they felt it.

"Wise or not, would you prefer dieing hiding like a coward?! If I am to go down, I shall do so fight, trying to survive!" that was definitely Fandral.

"I'm not usually rash, but I believe it is better to follow this light, for it may be an escape route, we don't know if we don't try!..." Steve tryed to calm everyone down, but it had little effect. For some reason they all felt very turned on by this argument.

"My friends and Hogun are right! I have lived with my sister all my life, something is off about this place, and that light is probably a trap!"nearly yelled Thalia. She did not pretend to know her sister, but she knew enough to recognize a trap when she saw one.

" Friends, let us calm down and think rationally. This seems like one of Loki's tricks, therefore we must not do the obvious" Thor's voice rang over all the others, and for a moment, there was silence. Then everyone started talking at once.

"Ha! Thinking?! You have spent too much time with Loki!" ~Fandral

"If this seems so much like one of Loki's schemes, then how do we know he has not betrayed us in some way?!" ~Volstag

"Take care in what you are saying, for you have just compared that traitorous bastard to my sister!" growled Thalia

"Do not insulty my brother such, when you hardly know him!" Thor growled in return

"And we've all seen how your sister is, and she's not so different from Reindeer Games after all..."

"Misteria is our companion, you Midgardian fool, do not speak of what you do not know!" came Tris's heated reply.

Back and forth went their argument, until, unknowingly, they split into two groups, each facing the other, but both slowly retreating, until Thalia and Steve couldn't take it anymore. Each turned their backs to the opposite group, and took a few steps away, followed by their respective groups. Thalia suddenly remembered something her sister had told her:'When the group you're facing is too big, divide it'. She realized her mistake too late, and, as she turned back in the direction of the other group, she gasped, causing Hogun, Thor, Bia and Tris to turn around as well, and also gasp. The other group was no longer there.

'That' thought Thor 'is not good'.

X X X

It would seem very hard to appear at ease with so many guns pointed at your face, but for Loki and Misteria it was child's play. One of the Agents yelled at them to drop their weapons. 'The Widow' dropped all her guns, and 'Hawkeye' placed his bow on the ground, and they both raised their hands in a "Harmless!" gesture.

"I do not know whom you mistook us for, but we are here to investigate, sent by Director Fury himself." Said Misteria in Natasha's voice. The confidence with which she spoke was very convincing, and, unknown to them, Loki was putting a little power behind her words, so when she ordered them around, and told them where to check, and what areas were already covered, they obeyed her orders without question. When all the Agents were gone, Loki and Misteria let out a relieved sigh, and began moving further down into the even lower levels.

"We should hurry up, we still don't have much time" warned Loki, and the elf nodded. She had gone silent after the encounter with the humans. Loki wanted to know what was troubling her, but he didn't get to ask, for they suddenly felt a sharp pain in their minds, and, as soon as the agony was gone, they locked eyes then immediately took off in the direction where the wave came from.

They soon reached a low, round room, that was bathed in a blue glow. The exact hue of the Teseract, but to their trained senses, it felt different, but just as powerful, only in a different area: the mind. Magically suspended in front of them stood the Mind Gem.

"I believe there must be some sort of trap, or alarm, bound to that Stone" said Loki, and he carefully stepped forward, followed by an equally careful Misteria.

"Well, it is just like Odin to not reveal having such an artifact in his possession, is it not?" she mock-asked the God in front of her. The Trickster suddenly stopped and whirled around to face the slightly startled girl, who's face immediately turned back into an emotionless mask.

"How exactly" he whispered slowly " do you know how Odin would act?"

Suddenly, her eyes were shining with barely controlled emotion, though her face remained calm and collected. When she spoke, though, her voice was trembling slightly. "Because, you pompous Prince, you're not the only one who's suffered because of him!"

Loki was a little taken aback by her reaction, and by her insult. Most would think that calling him 'Silvertongue' or 'Trickster' would insult him, _but_ she didn't seem to find these names insulting at all, just like he didn't.

" And how, pray tell have you suffered? I do not remember seeing you in the dungeons, nor do I recall your name among those that were to be tortured" he matched her placidity perfectly.

Misteria half smiled, but it was a bitter smile. "Well, that's part of the problem, isn't it? No one would remember us..." Then she smirked mischievously, not bothering to elaborate, instead saying "We should get that back upstairs. I'm dieing to see their faces when we show it to them" Loki raised a delicate eyebrow, and also smirked, mirroring her expression. "There, we do agree"

So, expecting any sort of security to jump at them the moment they touched the Gem, they both lay one palm on its small, soft surface. And the only thing they could not fight back against happened; the Gem began making connections; between the place they were in, and some other place, not very far, them suddenly pulled their minds towards that place, and they had no choice but to teleport there, or they'd risk getting their minds separated from their bodies.

In a matter of seconds, they found themselves in front of the Odin, in the meeting room, still holding the Gem between their palms.

" 'Father' " greeted Loki with a sharp smirk and a mocking bow. "Look what we found, and probably weren't supposed to know about" He placed the Mind Gem on the table before him.

"Allfather" greeted Misteria, equall mockery written across her face, her polite tone dripping with sarcasm.

The Allfather was giving them both a one eyed glare. But they did not have time to hear one more word of his, before the Mind Gem glowed brightly, they felt a different pull inside their minds, then the world went black.

The strange thing was that they both knew exactly where the other one was. Strange indeed...

X X X

Judging by her breath,Tris was very scared, and by the hushing sounds that came constantly from Bia, her elder sister was holding her close. Hogun was just as grim as ever, and Thalia's mind was straining to come up with a plan, while Thor was on even higher alert than his friends.

"We need to stay together. Whoever, whatever is trying to get to us is trying to divide us first." reasoned Thalia.

"We need to find our way out of this or not, the safety of my friends comes first" Thor stated

Not very far away, but completely deaf to the other group's conversation, Tony and Steve were trying to make a plan, and not start a fight.

"We said we'd be going after the Light, that we shall do" said Tony

"Stark, we just lost the others, this is beyond our understanding, so we should..." Steve trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

"The Man of Iron is right. We can just continue on the path we'd chosen, for there is no turning back" Fandral said and three murmurs of agreement followed his speech.

"Fine, then, let's find that Light" sighed Steve.

The moment he said that, the light began fading into distance again... in two directions, at the same time

X X X

Loki could see his brother and the rest of his group standing in a dark cave. But he instantly recognized the illusions, and what was producing them, and knew that the quest for the Light Stone has been doomed to fail. They were too late from the moment they got there. If only Odin had listened to him when he said that the Aether and the Light Stone could attract each other. But, typical for his 'father', he had payed him no mind. Now, all he could do was hope his brother and the others could hold on long enough for him to use the Teseract to bring them back.

Suddenly, his got transported in a complete dark place, devoid of... well, anything. The void. He was used to nightmares that were not truly nightmares, but rather memories. So he braced himself for another round of merciless torture, but, to his surprise, the space around him did not remain black, but began to take shape and color, until he stood in a completely foreign place, more exactly the doorway of a small room. His body didn't feel right, and he recognized this dream as another memories, maybe one since his childhood? That still didn't seem right, so he just decided to watch.

The room seemed asgardian built, and a quick glance out a small window confirmed his theory: he was in Asgard. In the room he could see two elf females. Probably a mother and a child, both light elves. From where he stood he could hear the mother telling the little girl nice words, promises of a better tomorrow, a FREE tomorrow, so that the child could fall asleep, even if both of them knew those promises to be untrue, the child still felt comfort in hearing them.

'Comfort' he heard a thought, not his own.'I have no one to ever tell me nice things. She is so lucky in a place such as this...' He felt a childlike, sad, jealousy. He felt her eyes burning with unshed tears. Yes, he somehow knew the memory belonged to a 'she'.

Suddenly, the mother's eyes landed on him, and he saw that they were kind, but sad and tired... Hopeless. As he took in their appearance one more time, it dawned on him that he was looking at slaves. This was the memory of a child slave.

The mother beckoned him forward, and he came, albeit shyly and rather reluctant. 'No one calls for me for anything else then work and beating and to tell me mean words' were the thoughts of the small girl.

"Hello there, little one. Come here, close the door, it's warmer inside. There, that's better. I am Eve, and this is my daughter, Thalia" The small light elf came towards the other small girl, and she held her hand out, and the other girl grasped it hesitantly. Thalia smiled at the other girl, and Loki could feel her smiling back.

"Can you tell us your name? Also, why are you here alone? They are not allowed to capture such small children without their parents..." Eve trailed off, as she saw the small girl start to cry.

"My parents sold me to slavery. They'd said they didn't need a useless mouth to feed. They called me ugly and a disgrace to my rase. I...I don't know why!" she cryed the last part out, then broke down into sobs. She looked down, thinking she'll be hit and yelled at for her weakness, like before, but the small light elf only hugged her tightly, and whispered "you are very pretty, and you should forget what everyone else had said"

Thalia guided her towards a mirror, and made her look at herself. It was then that Loki realized who the memory belonged to: the small girl had black hair, pointed ears, misty blue eyes that were still shining with tears, her skin was slightly gray and she was a little shorter than Thalia. She was a very young Misteria.

Behind the two girls cameThalia's mother. She laid a hand on both their shoulders, and said kindly " Dear child, from now on, you can be my daughter as well. You can be a part of this family if you wish..." Eve eyed the small elves, and the two young, now sisters, took each other's hand, a clear sign of acceptance.

The smaller elf eyed her new family, and told them "My name is Misteria. And I know I'll be proud to be thy daughter"

And then the scene faded back to black, and Loki was trying to cope with what he'd just seen. Misteria was adopted. And, she's grown up as a slave. In Asgard. Her parents have sold her to slavery, for a reason still unclear. He had seen one of her memories... but how? He was no seer; it is true that as a sorcerer he had visions, but they always had to do with him, one way or another.

Then it hit him: the Mind Gem has made a connection... between them.

**And, I'm leaving it like this. I promise everything is going to be explained, but in time. Also, I forgot to explain why Frigga is still alive. The reason is that when Thanos began his destruction of the Nine Realms, he also attacked Valhalla, and sent nearly everyone there to Hellheim. But in order to kill them, he first had to set them free, and Frigga and a few others escaped. **

**So, next chapter, we'll see if Loki can save his brother and the other questers, or if he actually wants to. More past will be revealed, and there might be some more action. I hope you liked this, and I'll see you next time ;)**

**Bye!**


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